Changed
by Akirafanatic
Summary: Akira moves avay to America but comes back six years later with a drug addiction
1. The move

**I don't own any of the CLAMP characters**

It was a bright sunny day at CLAMP school. The sun was high and it was peacefully quiet. Or it was until a yell cut through the quiet, "KAICHOU!" Suoh yelled as he chased after said boy.

Nokoru laughed as he tried to escape his blue-haired friend. After a few moments Nokoru ran out of breath and sat down on one of the benches. A few seconds later Suoh came up and stood in front of him with Akira at his side.

"You still have paperwork to finish Kaichou!" Suoh said angrily.

"But Suoh, it's such a lovely day. How can I possibly do paperwork on a day like this?" Nokoru replied.

Suoh had, had just about enough. He stepped forward and grabbed onto one of Nokoru's arms, proceeded to drag him back to the office. Akira was smiling the whole time, amused at the behavior of his sempai.

Once they were back in the office Suoh stood over Nokoru watching him do his work and giving him more when he ran out. After about an hour work the phone rang and Nokoru jumped to answer it. "Hello?" He asked.

He listened for a moment before saying, "One moment." He took the phone away from his ear and said, "Akira, it's your mothers."

Akira stood up looking confused but took the phone and answered, "Hello?... Why? Is something wrong?... Then-… Ok. I'll be right there." He sighed and handed the phone back to Nokoru saying, "My mother's want me home to talk to me about something." Nokoru nodded his head in understanding and Akira got his things and left.

Nokoru was about to make an excuse to Suoh but decided against it when he saw the other boys face. Instead he sighed and got back to work.

**~With Akira~**

Akira walked up to his house and opened the door saying, "I'm home."

His mothers came and told him to put his things away before they told him the news.

Once they were all settled, one of his mothers looked at him seriously and said, "I hate to say this Akira, but your grandmother is very sick."

"Will she be alright?" Akira asked worriedly.

"We don't know, that's why we are moving to America, so we can take care of her. We thought of having her stay here but she isn't in any condition to fly all the way over here."

Akira was silent for a moment before he asked, "Were moving to America?" both his mothers nodded silently. "But what about school? What about my friends?"

"Were sorry Akira, but we can't leave you here alone. We have to go and take care of your grandmother. We know it will be hard on you, it will be on all of us, but we have to take care of her. There's no one else who can. Do you understand?"

Akira nodded his head and asked, "When are we leaving?"

"In a week. That will give you time to say goodbye to everyone."

Akira sighed but knew there was nothing he could do, so he went and started preparing for dinner.

**~The Next Day~**

"Good morning Kaichou, Takamura-sempai!" Akira said happily, with a big smile. He wanted to make sure he had a great last week at school, before the move.

"Good morning Akira/Ijyuin." They replied.

When Akira got to his desk Nokoru spoke up, "Akira?"

"Yes Kaichou?" He answered.

"What was it your mother's wanted to talk to you about yesterday?"

Akira's smile faltered a little before he said, "They told me that my grandmother is very sick and we have to help take care of her."

Akira was no longer smiling, but looked a little sad. "That's horrible." Nokoru said.

"Yeah, but that was only part of it."

"What's the other part?"

"We're going to go live with her because she can't come to our house."

"Where does she live?"

"… In America."

There was silence in the room for a few minutes as Suoh and Nokoru took in what he had just said. Suoh decided to break it and asked, "When are you leaving?"

"In a week." Akira answered, "We don't know how long we will be staying there either. All I know is it will be at least half-a-year."

"I'm sorry Akira." Nokoru said. He got up and hugged the younger boy, Suoh was behind him and put a hand on Akira's shoulder.

Akira smiled, pleased he had such wonderful friends. After a moment, they each went to their desks, and left each other to their own thoughts. It was quiet in the council room until Akira got up and left to make some tea and snacks.

When Akira was gone Nokoru turned to Suoh and asked, "What are we going to do when he's gone?"

"What do you mean?" Suoh asked.

"He's one of us. It's going to feel so weird when he's not here. I don't think anyone can ever take his place now."

"Your right, it will be strange, but Akira wouldn't want us to sad about this. Let's just make sure he has a fun time this week."

"Your right Suoh." Nokoru said. There was a moment of silence before Nokoru spoke up again saying, "I'm really going to miss him, and all his delicious food."

"Yeah, I will to." Suoh said.

"I don't think I can survive without his cooking. It will also be hard to find a new treasurer because he was such a good one, probably the best."

"I know. I don't think there's anyone else who can help me keep you on task and not fall behind on their paperwork." Nokoru sweat dropped when he heard that.

"I know!" Nokoru suddenly said, "Let's throw him a going away party!"

"Only if you finish all your paperwork on time." Suoh said, but Nokoru knew he wanted to give Akira one as well.


	2. The ruturn

**~Day of the move~**

It had been a long week for Akira, but a fun one. He was still thinking about the party Nokoru and Suoh had thrown him. He was really going to miss them.

He sighed as they waited for their plane to arrive, wondering what was taking so long.

Finally after about twenty minutes the plane arrived and they boarded. He took out the present everyone had gotten him and opened it. It was a large scrapbook, full of pictures of everyone, Suoh, Nokoru, Utako, Nagisa, and him.

He looked through it and remembered all the good times he had since he arrived at CLAMP.

He was about to close it when he saw something sticking out of it. He pulled it out and found a letter addressed to him. When he opened it he read:

_Akira,_

_We will all miss you here, and hope that you come back to us someday soon. We also wish for your grandmother to get well and hope that you have a good time while you're in America. Don't ever forget us, just like we won't ever forget you. Make lots of friends and don't forget to write. We will always be thinking of you._

_Your friends,_

_Nokoru, Suoh, Utako, Nagisa, and many more._

Akira folded the letter back up and put it away, tears falling unnoticed down his cheeks. A few minutes later, the plane took off.

**~Two months later with Akira~**

Akira was walking down the street to his house thinking, _I wish I was back in Japan. It was so much better there. I had lots of friends and everyone was nice. I love grandmother, but her condition hasn't improved at all since we've been here, and I've been so busy I haven't had time to write to everyone back in Japan._

Akira stopped and looked around, hearing someone behind him. He looked up and frowned. It was Peter and his friends from the high school next to his elementary school. His mothers decided to put him in with other kids his age so he could make friends.

After his first week in school he had meet Peter and his friends. He was walking home but stopped when he heard someone call him. He turned around and saw an older boy around sixteen or seventeen with short brown hair and brown eyes.

He was medium height and well built. Good looking but not handsome. He was with about six other people. "You're the new kid in elementary school from Japan right?" He asked.

"Yes." Akira had replied.

"I hear you're really smart. So smart the teachers give you high school work, right?" Akira just nodded. "Why don't you do mine since you're so smart? I'm too busy to do it."

"But if I do it, you won't learn anything." Akira said.

Peter didn't like that and tried to punch him but Akira had dodged it. In the end it had turned into a big fight where Peter and his friends had tried to hurt Akira for refusing them, but Akira had dodged all their attacks and sent them home with bruises, black eyes and split lips.

"This isn't over punk!" Peter had yelled, and he kept his word to. Now every day after school he and some of his friends would come and there would be a big fight. Sometimes there were just a few bot today, there were over twenty of them.

"Hey punk" Peter greeted him.

"Are you ever going to stop?" Akira asked. He was in a bad mood because he had a bad day. First he had not gotten much sleep so he had almost been late for school, then he had been given a lot of work to do. He also had to miss recess because the teacher had asked him to explain something to some other teachers. He also was sent to the office to help the principal fix his computer and retrieves all the lost work. Now he had to deal with Peter and all his friends.

He wondered if the day could get any worse. "No" Peter answered his question with a sneer. "You need to be taught a lesson."

The fight lasted longer than any of the others had but Akira was letting out all his stress from the day on the poor boys now. When it was over they were all on the ground moaning while he didn't have a scratch on him.

He turned and was about to walk away when he heard someone call out to him. "Hey you."

Akira turned around to see another teen in baggy jeans, and a black tea-shirt calling him over. The boy had long messy blond hair and blue eyes. He was tall and fit. Akira was still in a bad mood so he just called out, "What do you want?"

"Just want to talk." Akira went over to him and the teen said, "Saw what you did to those guys. You were pretty good."

"No, they just weren't very good."

The teen laughed and said, "Your pretty funny kid. My names Jack, what's yours?"

"Akira"

"Well Akira, nice to meet you. Follow me."

"Where?"

"You'll see."

Jack led Akira to an old factory and through a side door. "Where are we?" Akira asked.

"This is where me and my boys hang out." Jack said. "Guy's get out here! I got someone I want you all to meet!" He yelled.

After a few seconds about thirty people were gathered around them. "Guy's, this is Akira. I want him to join us."

"But he's just a kid!" someone shouted.

"He may be a kid but he just took out more than twenty people in less than ten minutes."

There were mummers heard from everyone. "What do you mean you want me to join?" Akira asked Jack.

"You see, we're all like a family here, 'cause ours are messed up or we just can't take it anymore and need somewhere to escape to. We only let strong people join because there are other groups out there that want to take us out, be the best. I saw what you did and I feel you could help us and we could in turn help them not bother you. What do you say? Deal?" Jack asked.

Akira thought for a moment but agreed to it because they said they would get Peter and his friends to stop bugging him and he needed somewhere he could relax and let out all his stress.

"Great! Now you want a smoke?" Jack handed him a cigarette and lit one of his own. By now everyone else had gone back to what they were doing so he took it. He tried it and said, "It's disgusting."

Jack just laughed and told him he'd get used to it.

Over the next few months Jack had introduced Akira to more drugs and some beer, but only a little so his parents wouldn't find out. Akira had also been in more fights than he could count and sometimes came home with a black eye or a few bruises and cuts, but he always mad excuses to his mothers so they wouldn't find out.

Part of him knew what he was doing was wrong but after about a year he couldn't stop. He had become stronger than before and faster also because he had started using ankle and wrist weights as well as he ran about a mile everyday with them and stole for his mother still with them on. He was now the strongest, most flexible, and mast deadly in the group.

They started training him with knives so he could defend himself better but so far he hadn't needed it. He had also become the most skilled with a knife and had a dead accurate aim. Nobody messed with him anymore and he was having a great time.

**~Six years later~**

"We're what?!" Akira yelled. Akira was now sixteen and very tall. He had hard muscles from all the training and was very fit. He had lost all the baby fat and was very handsome. His voice had also gotten deeper but not a lot so when he talked it was quiet and made all the girls sigh. It also gave him an amazing singing voice.

"We're moving back to Japan because your grandmother's health is back to normal. Aren't you happy?"

Akira didn't know what to say, he was happy about going back but sad to leave his new friends behind. In the end he had agreed.

After school the next day Akira went up to Jack and told him the news. "So you're going back to Japan huh?" he said. Both young men were smoking on the roof of the factory, watching all the people go about their lives.

"Yeah, there sending me back to my old school." Akira replied.

"I guess there's nothing we can do." Jack sighed, "Well, I'll tell everyone. When do you leave?"

"Two days from now."

"That's not very far away." He was silent for a moment before he said quietly, "We're all going to miss you, you know. You're like a little brother to us."

"I know." Akira replied. The two were silent for a long while, and , finishing their smoke, went their separate ways. Akira went home while Jake went to tell everyone Akira was going back to Japan.


	3. next

**~Two days later in Japan~**

"It's just how I remember it" Akira mumbled as he and his mothers stepped into their old house.

"It should. Nobody lived here or changed it while we were gone. The only thing they did was keep it clean." One of his mothers said.

"Oh." Was the only reply they got as he went up to his old room and unpacked his things. His mothers were worried about him but guessed it was just the jet lag. They knew he had friends in America and were sad about leaving them but they thought he would be happy about seeing his old friends.

The next day was spent unpacking all the boxes and getting everything organized again. It took them the entire day to finish, so when they were done they went to bed.

The next morning Akira made breakfast for him and his mothers, then went to the high school division of CLAMP to pick up his uniform and schedule.

As he was walking to the office, everyone stared at him as he passed. They were all wondering who this new guy was. Akira didn't glance at anyone but just kept on walking.

After he had gotten his schedule and uniform he was told to go to his class. He put on his uniform and made his way to homeroom.

When he entered the classroom everyone got very quiet, even the teacher and stared at him. Akira gave his schedule to the teacher and looked at who was in his class.

The teacher looked at the paper in his hands before saying, "Class, we have a new student joining us today as you can see. His name is Akira Ijyuin." Mummers were heard around the class. "You may remember him from elementary school." The teacher turned to Akira before saying, "Why don't you have a seat by the window over there." He pointed to a desk near the back and went to it.

For the rest of class Akira half paid attention and half wondered what his old friends were doing.

After class Akira made his way to one of the cafes on campus and ordered a drink. As he was waiting for it to arrive, he heard someone yell, "KAICHOU!" He guessed it must be Suoh trying to get Nokoru to do his paperwork again. _Some things never change._ He thought, before looking where the voices came from.

Off a little ways he saw a young blond man laughing as he sat on one of the benches, and a young blue-haired male coming to a stop in front of the blond. Akira shook his head, remembering when he had been a part of that about six years ago.

Once his drink came he, drained it and paid for it before getting up to leave. Just as he was passing near where the two young males were sitting he heard a familiar voice, though a little more grown up, ask, "Akira?"

Akira turned around and saw a beautiful young woman with short black hair that had a ribbon in it, wearing a middle school uniform looking at him. He recognized Utako instantly. "Yes?" he answered her.

"You are Akira Ijyuin, right?"

"Do you really not recognize me Utako?" he asked with a little smile.

She ran into his arms and started crying softly saying, "It really is you. They told me you were back but I had to see if it was true. I missed you so much Akira."

"I missed you to Utako." He whispered in her ear, holding her tight.

Akira heard someone come up to them and looked up to see the blond and blue-haired males staring at him in shock. "Akira?" The blond asked.

Akira nodded and said, "Long time no see Kaichou, Takamura-sempai."

Nokoru smiled and hugged his old friend, while Suoh put a hand on his shoulder. Akira was about as tall as them now, and he had grown his hair a little longer than it originally was so now it hung down in his eyes.

Nokoru let Akira go and looked him up and down saying, "You've changed. You got taller, and grew your hair out."

"I've been meaning to get it cut." Akira said, "I just haven't had the time."

"You should leave it like that for a while, it looks good. Anyway, when did you get back?"

"Two days ago. We arrived at night and spent all of yesterday unpacking."

"How was life in America?" Nokoru and Suoh both saw a strange emotion in his eyes but before they could tell which one it was, it was gone. It was just a brief flash so they thought they had imagined it.

"It was different." Akira replied. He smiled at all of them, thinking this might not be so bad after all.

They all talked about what life had been like the past six years as they headed to the high school division's council room. Just as they entered Akira's cell phone rang. "Sorry." He told them, flipping it open, "Hello?... one second." He covered the phone and told everyone he would be on the roof.

After five minutes Nokoru and Suoh went to find Akira. Utako had to go home, so she wasn't with them. When Nokoru and Suoh got up to the roof, they were shocked at what they saw. Akira was leaning on the edge of the roof, smoking!

Neither of them quite knew what to say. After a few moments Akira startled them by saying, "If you're going to say something, say it."

"Akira… why?" Nokoru eventually asked.

"Why what?"

"Why are you smoking? It's bad for you!"

Akira sighed and turned to them, saying, "I know it's bad for me, but it helps me relax."

"When did you start?" Suoh asked, there was a little bit of anger in his voice but also some sadness.

"About two months after I moved to America. I was having a bad day and some people gave me one to try. At first it was horrible, but the more I had, the more I liked it, the harder it was to stop."

Nokoru and Suoh didn't know what to say. There friend had started smoking when he was ten!

Akira finished his cigarette and stamped it out under his foot. After a while he asked quietly, "Surprised?"

"Yes, we are." Nokoru replied, "Do your mothers know?"

"Yeah, they tried to get me to quit but I just can't. I tried but it was just too weird, not having one. They soon gave up but still hate it when I have one." Akira gave a small bitter laugh before saying, "At least it was better when they found out the guys who were letting me smoke were also giving me beer."

Suoh and Nokoru's mouths dropped open as they stared at their old friends back. After a while Nokoru said, "I don't know who those people were, but it was wrong of them to give a child cigarettes and beer! Akira, you have to stop this."

"I told you, I've tried. If I couldn't before what makes you think I can now?"

"I think it was because you were still hanging around those guys, that's why you couldn't stop. Besides, you have us to help you now, and we won't stop until we know you won't even think about smoking again." After a moment he adds, "Or drinking."

Akira looked at them and said, "It's worth a shot."

"Good, now let's go get everything ready."

"For what?"

"You're going to be treasurer again aren't you?"

"Only if you want me to."

Nokoru and Suoh smiled before saying, "We wouldn't have it any other way."

The next day Suoh and Nokoru found Akira on the roof again, smoking with a bottle of beer open and half empty beside him. He had bags under his eyes and was yawning a lot.

"Akira!" Nokoru screamed. "I thought we said not to do that!"

Akira glared at them before saying, "You try staying up all night due to jet-lag and having to go through classes on everything you already know. Then let's see what you say." He took another long drag of the cigarette and blew out the smoke.

Nokoru and Suoh were shocked to see this side of Akira. It appeared that the time spent is America changed him more than they thought.

After a moment Nokoru remembered what he was trying to do and went up to Akira before taking the cigarette from his hands and smashing under his foot while Suoh took the rest of the beer and poured it out before breaking it.

Akira glared at them before mumbling something they couldn't hear and taking out another pack of cigarettes. Nokoru and Suoh took them from their friend and dragged him down to the office. Once they got there they told Akira to give them all the cigarettes and beer he had with him.

They were shocked to see he had four more packs and two more bottles. After they had disposed of the items, they came back in and asked if he had any at home. Akira nodded and they said they would be going over to his house to get rid of it all.

Once they were at Akira's house, he took them to his room where he had ten bottles hidden and more than twenty packs. Nokoru and Suoh bagged them all up and asked him if there was any more. He said there was more beer in the fridge and more cigarettes in the pantry.

Once Suoh and Nokoru made sure they got rid of all Akira had, they told him that when he felt like he wanted to smoke to chew some gum instead. Also when he felt like he wanted a beer to drink some water or juice or something different.

Akira nodded and took the package of gum before he started on dinner. Suoh and Nokoru decided to stay for dinner so they could talk to his mothers.

"Thank you for helping him." One of Akira's mothers said. "We tried to get him to quit but his 'friends' kept giving him more and it was getting harder for us to make him stop."

"We feel terrible he's had to go through this and we just want to make sure he doesn't cause any more damage to his health than he already has." Nokoru said.

They talked a little more until Akira told them dinner was ready.

After everyone had eaten, Nokoru and Suoh went home and Akira went to bed.

The next morning after Akira got to school he went to one of the cafes and ordered coffee so he would stay awake. When he was almost done Suoh and Nokoru came over to him. "Good Morning Akira." Nokoru said.

Akira mumbled something and finished off his coffee. Nokoru looked at him before asking, "When did you start drinking coffee?"

"Something wrong with it?" Akira replied.

"No, I just didn't take you to be someone who drank it, that's all."

Akira sighed before saying, "If I don't have it in the morning I'm in a bad mood all day and without it I can't stay awake during classes."

"I don't think I've ever seen you in a bad mood before." Nokoru said, looking thoughtful.

"And you don't want to." Akira replied before looking at his watch and standing up. "I have to go to class now, before I'm late. Bye." He waved to Nokoru and Suoh as he walked away.

After school was done Akira went to the council room to officially start his job as treasurer. "Good afternoon Akira." Nokoru replied happily as he spotted the black-haired teen.

"Good afternoon Kaichou, Takamura-sempai." Akira replied.

The rest of the day was spent doing work, talking some more, and Akira making the snacks and tea again. It was a pretty normal day.

After they finished, they all went home. Akira made dinner for his mothers and was about to go to bed when he realized he couldn't. He wandered around for a while and spent about an hour up on the roof. After a few hours he got into bed and fell into a dreamless sleep, which lasted for about an hour.

His mothers came in, and told him was going to be late to school if he didn't hurry. Akira glanced at the clock and cursed under his breath. He ran to get ready and made a quick breakfast before he left.

He ran all the way to school because if he didn't he would have been late. Akira thanked the gods for training with the weights he had on now, so he wasn't too out of breath when he arrived.

Akira walked into class about a minute before the bell rang.

All through the day Akira was in a bad mood. He didn't get much sleep and so he couldn't get a cup of coffee before class. He tried getting one at lunch but couldn't because they didn't have any at the one he went to.

After classes were over he went to find some coffee but when he was almost there Suoh and Nokoru blocked his path and Nokoru said, "There you are Akira!, Where are you going?"

"I haven't had any coffee this morning Kaichou. I'm going to get some." Akira replied.

Just as he was about to keep going Nokoru grabbed onto his arm and said, "Come on, you don't need it. You can get some later."

Akira was mad that Nokoru was trying to deny him his coffee so he said in a low and dangerous voice, "Let. Go."

Nokoru and Suoh were shocked at Akira's behavior but Nokoru still didn't let go. Akira turned to him and said, "If you don't let go and let me get some coffee I will MAKE you let go."

Nokoru let Akira's arm go and watched as he left. "What was that about?" Nokoru asked Suoh.

Suoh looked at him and said, "Don't you remember what he said yesterday? He said if he didn't have coffee he would be in a bad mood all day."

Nokoru thought for a moment then said, "Oh yeah! Guess I forgot."

The rest of the day passed normally, and finally it was time to leave.

"See you tomorrow Suoh, Akira!" Nokoru yelled as he left for his house.

Suoh and Akira nodded in reply and just as Akira was about to leave Suoh stopped him.

"Akira." He said.

"Yes?" Akira replied.

"You're still smoking, aren't you?"

Akira didn't say anything, just looked at Suoh.

After a moment Suoh sighed and said, "Give them to me." He held out his hand and Akira reluctantly gave his pack of cigarettes to Suoh. "You have to stop this." Suoh said.

"It's hard. I've gotten so used to them I feel like I need them." Akira looked at Suoh and saw a bit of sadness in his eyes for a second, before it was gone.

"You can do it Akira. You just have to try harder." After he said that Suoh walked away leaving Akira, who turned and headed to his own house.


	4. then

The next morning as Akira got a coffee to go he ran into a group of people. There were about twenty of them, all fit and strong. Akira was about to leave when one of them said, "Aren't you going to apologize?"

"For what?" Akira asked. He was mad because he hadn't had his coffee yet; it was still in his hand, untouched.

"You bumped into me."

"No, I didn't, and if you don't go away I'm going to be late for school."

"You little." The man said and he swung a punch at Akira's head but Akira dodged as he took a sip from his coffee.

Akira kept dodging all the man's attacks and was almost half-way done with his coffee when the man took it and threw it away and it spilled all over the ground.

The men started to laugh and one said, "It's not good for a little boy to be drinking that stuff."

Akira was furious at the men. He turned to the man who threw it and said in a deadly voice, "Do you know what you just did?" The men were all shocked but stayed where they were. "I get very mad when I don't have any coffee, and you just took mine away from me. Do you know what I'm going to do now?"

The man who had thrown it shook his head and got very scared when Akira gave him a cold, deadly smile and said, "This."

If you weren't watching closely you would have thought you imagined the whole thing. One second the man was standing there, the next he was laying unconscious against a tree.

The other men were shocked and didn't see Akira as he came towards them. He knocked out all of them but one. When he reached the last one, Akira grabbed him by the shirt and said, "If you don't want to end up like them, you will go get me another coffee. NOW." The man ran off to do as he was told, scared of the teen who had taken out about twenty full grown strong men in less than five minutes.

Akira smiled grimly as he watched the man run. He turned and Saw Suoh and Nokoru staring at him, eyes wide in shock. "Yes?" He asked them, still in a bad mood because he hadn't had his coffee.

"Akira…" Nokoru didn't know what to say. He and Suoh had come in just as the man threw Akira's coffee to the ground. Suoh was about to step in when Akira had started talking. They had watched the entire thing and didn't believe what they had seen.

Akira had moved very fast so it was hard to see what he had done but they were more shocked that he had actually hurt them. They thought he didn't like to fight.

It was quiet before the man came back, carrying a new thing of coffee for Akira. Akira took it and the man ran as fast as he could to get away from the teen.

Akira drank it gratefully and started heading to class. Nokoru and Suoh both thought the same thing, 'Never take away Akira's coffee.'

After school Nokoru and Suoh were in the office, waiting for Akira to arrive. After ten minutes had past when he normally arrived, they decided to go and look for him to make sure he wasn't in trouble.

The first place they looked was the roof. They thought they might find him there but it was empty. Next they tried his classroom, the cafes, and all around the building including the home economics building. There was no sign of him anywhere.

Nokoru was getting worried, thinking he might be in another fight and had gotten hurt. Suoh was worried he had snuck off and was either smoking or drinking right now.

After a while they had reached the gates of the campus. They were about to head back when they saw Akira's bag on the ground by the wall that ran around the entire campus.

Suoh went up to one of the people watching the gates who checked everyone that went in and out of the campus and asked if they had seen Akira. Suoh gave a brief description and pointed to Akira's bag that was against the wall.

The man thought for a while before saying he did see a young man that fit that description, the teen had been in shorts and a tea-shirt, with tennis-shoes on. "Where did he go?" Suoh asked the man.

"He put down his things and started running in that direction." The man said as he pointed to the left of the gates.

Suoh went back to Nokoru and they both decided to wait for Akira to get back. After about twenty minutes, Suoh saw Akira running towards them, heading for his bag. Akira looked at Suoh and Nokoru and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"We got worried when you didn't come to the office." Nokoru said. "What were you doing?" He looked at Akira who was in shorts that went down to his knees, a tea-shirt, and tennis-shoes, and was panting a little, with sweat dripping down his face.

"I was running." Akira said, "I did it a lot in America. It helps me keep in shape and clear my head."

Akira took out a water bottle and took a long drink. "Where did you run to?" Suoh asked him.

"Around the campus." Akira said after taking another drink and wiping away the sweat.

"But this campus is huge! It would take about five hours to run around it!" Nokoru said.

"Maybe, but I've been running this much about everyday in America so I'm used to it." Akira replied. "Sorry I didn't tell you, I just felt like running. If you'll excuse me, I'm going for one more lap."

"Mind if I come?" Suoh asked. "I want to see if you really did go all the way around."

Akira shrugged and started off with Suoh close behind. Nokoru decided to wait for the two to get back, so he sat under a tree and timed them for fun.

After about forty minutes Akira came back around. Suoh came soon after. Both of them were panting and sweating about the same even though this was Akira's second lap.

"I can't believe you can run around this place in under an hour." Suoh said, "You even did it twice."

Akira smiled as he handed Suoh a second water bottle which Suoh gladly accepted, before taking a drink and saying, "It's a good start for a work out and I find it kind of fun."

Suoh looked at him for a moment before saying, "Starting workout?"

"Yeah, next comes the hard part. You want to try it with me?"

"Sure, it sounds interesting."

"Glad to hear it. Now, let's go back to my house to start it." Akira turned to Nokoru and asked, "Are you going to come as well Kaichou?"

"I'd like to watch, thank you." Nokoru replied and stood up.

Akira grabbed his bag and started a light jog back to his house. Suoh and Nokoru followed, though Nokoru walked, not being very athletic.

Once they were at Akira's house, Akira let them down to his basement where he had set up a 'training room' and gave Suoh a pair of shorts, a tea-shirt, and tennis-shoes. Suoh changed as Akira set everything up.

Nokoru and Suoh were impressed by everything in the room. There were slandered exercise equipment in a smaller room off to one side, a lap pool off to the other side, a changing room with showers, and a radio you could listen to while exercising.

But what was the most impressive was what was right in front of them. It looked like a giant jungle-gym but only more complex and had gymnastic equipment built into it.

There was also a control panel on the wall that could be set to automatic or could be controlled manually. Akira set it to go automatically and asked Suoh "There are four different levels, easy, medium, hard, and dangerous. Which one would you like to try?"

"I'll try the hard, for now." Suoh replied.

"Ok. Do you want to go first or should I, and show you what it's like?"

"Why don't you show me how to do it first, so I know what I'm doing."

"Ok, but I'm setting it to dangerous because I can do the others already." Akira set it to dangerous and took out a length of cloth.

"What's that for Akira?" Nokoru asked.

"It's a blindfold. It makes it more interesting for me." Akira replied. "I don't think you should try it with a blindfold until you've run it a couple times though." Akira said to Suoh.

Suoh nodded and Akira tied it around his eyes, and got into position before the beginning before saying, "Hit the green button to start it for me."

Suoh hit is and watched as Akira ran and started the course.

Nokoru and Suoh were amazed at what they saw, Akira was flipping, twirling, dodging, and sometimes even flying as he went through the course and dodged or caught all the things thrown at him. Some were weights, others were knives, and some were just small plastic balls. As Akira went through it traps started popping up or holes would open up so Akira had to jump over them or go around them.

Most of the traps or flying objects were silent and it amazed Nokoru and Suoh at how he dodged and caught all of them.

Once he was through the course he ran to a set of targets that were moving and used knives to hit the centers of them while he dodged what was being thrown at him. As soon as he finished that he ran to the end and pushed a red button.

Once he pushed it everything stopped and went back to normal while there was a number flashing on a screen above the button. It read 1:26:02.

"A minute and twenty six seconds, I'm getting slower." Akira said as Suoh and Nokoru just stared at him.

Akira turned and pulled all the knives out of the targets. He had hit the center of each. Once he got back to Nokoru and Suoh, he handed the knives to Suoh, and said, "That's how you do it."

"That looked dangerous! How could you be doing this?" Nokoru asked him.

Akira just said, "It's another form of training, also it's not that dangerous. At least this time it didn't shoot fire at me."

Nokoru and Suoh didn't know what to say to that. Akira turned to the control panel and said, "Takamura-Sempai, it's your turn now. Do you still want to try hard? Or should I set it to medium?"

"I'll try hard" Suoh said.

"Alright. Kaichou, will you please push the green button when he is ready to start? I'm going to make an adjustment to the system. I'll tell you when it's safe to start."

Once Akira finished he told Suoh it was ok to start. Suoh got into position and Nokoru pressed the green button.

Suoh did an ok job with the course but wasn't near as fast or as good as Akira was. When he was done he had hit the center of about half the targets, and close to the center on the rest. His end time was two minutes and three seconds.

"You did better than I did when I first tried it on hard." Akira said.

Suoh thanked him but still wasn't happy with the way it turned out. Akira threw a water bottle at him. After a moment Akira said, "I'm going to the next part if you want to come."

"You mean there's more?" Nokoru asked.

Akira nodded and led them to a door neither of them had noticed before. Once they saw what was inside they were a little disappointed. They saw a room that looked like a dojo but had a doorway on the other end of it.

Akira turned to them and said, "This is the training area, you can spar with someone or just run through basic exercises." He went over to the set of double door and said, if you want you can train with one of these." He opened the door and Suoh and Nokoru gasped at what was inside.

They was many different weapons inside, long knives, short knives, strait swords, curved swords, spears, and so many more. Akira took out one of the long curved swords and said, "I'll be practicing with this first." Akira made room and started doing simple swings which turned into very complicated dance patterns.

When Akira finished Nokoru and Suoh watched as he went through all the weapons in a similar fashion.

Once he finished the last one he was panting lightly and sweating a little. "Do you want to try one Takamura-Sempai?" Akira asked. "These are all just practice ones so they aren't as deadly as the real ones are."

Suoh went over and picked up one of the curved blades, testing it for balance and weight. He saw that it was perfect and asked, "Where did you get these?"

"I bought them." Was the only answer Akira gave. Suoh put down the weapon, saying he was fine without the practice. "Well next I normally use a dummy to spar with but do you want to spar with me instead?"

"Alright." Suoh said, and copied Akira by stretching before getting into position. "The first one to pin the other to the ground for five seconds is the winner." Akira told him.

Suoh nodded and Nokoru gave the signal to start. Suoh started the attack by coming at Akira and trying to land a punch, but Akira had stopped it and swiped his foot trying to make Suoh lose his balance. Suoh jumped and aimed a kick at Akira's stomach. Akira flipped backwards but instead of landing on his feet, he landed on his hands and was in a handstand with his back facing Suoh.

Suoh ran forward and tried to punch Akira but Akira flipped over him and surprised both Suoh and Nokoru by getting a kick in on Suoh's back before landing on his feet. Suoh turned around and ran at Akira again but this time, instead of moving, Akira braced himself and flipped Suoh over his shoulder and put his arms behind his back, kneeling on Suoh's legs and pinning him to the ground.

Suoh tried to get up but couldn't. After five seconds, Akira got off Suoh and helped him stand up. The entire match had lasted about two minutes. "Great job." Suoh told Akira.

"Not bad yourself." Akira replied and smiled as he went over to refill both water bottles. He gave Suoh back his and took a big drink from his own.

"Is that it?" Suoh asked Akira.

Akira smiled and said, "Nope. Come on." He lead both of them to the room with the slandered exercise equipment and said, "Now we work on strength." Akira pressed a button on the wall and a fit young man, about twenty two, came in and Akira greeted him, "Hello Paul."

Paul had short black hair and dark brown eyes. He greeted Akira in a deep friendly voice saying, "Good to see you again, Akira. These you're friends?" He had a slight American accent.

"Yes, this is Takamura Suoh, he is training with me today" Suoh bowed, "And this is Imonoyama Nokoru, he's just here to watch." Akira turned to Suoh and Nokoru, "This is Paul, he's from America if you can't tell and he's my personal trainer. He tells me what I need to work on, and how long I should train in here. He's also a certified lifeguard for the pool and is a certified doctor."

Nokoru and Suoh were impressed by Paul and glad he was here to keep an eye on Akira and make sure he didn't hurt himself. "Nice to meet you." They said.

"Alright, let's get started." Paul said. "Akira, you go and run for a little while, to warm up and I will see what Takamura-Kun needs to work on." Akira nodded and headed off to one of the treadmills and started a light jog. Paul turned to Nokoru and asked, "You sure you don't want to join?"

"No thank you. I'm not very athletic." Nokoru said.

"If you ever change your mind, I can help you change it so you can build up your strength and become more athletic."

"Thank you for the offer, but not today."

Paul shrugged and turned to Suoh, "Let's see what you need to work on. Follow me." Suoh followed Paul into the room Paul had just come out of. "Let's start by checking your health, so I don't make you do something that would make you hurt yourself."

Suoh nodded and did everything Paul told him to. It was a normal checkup, and was over quickly. "Your nice and healthy, Takamura-Kun." Paul said. "Let's get you started by having you do a five minuet jog." He placed Suoh on a treadmill and started him at a steady pace, "Don't change the pace, alright?"

Suoh nodded and Paul went over to Akira. "Ok, you're done warming up, let's work on those arm muscles for a bit." He lead Akira over to a machine where Akira worked on his arms as Paul went over to see how Suoh was doing.

It went on like this for another hour, both boys working on their, arms, legs, abs, and others.

"Great job today you two." Paul told the boys. "Why don't you cool off with a swim before you shower and get some rest."

Both boys nodded and went to change into swim wear. Nokoru sat by the side of the pool waiting for his friends to come out.

As soon as both boys were out, Akira threw his towel on one of the chairs and dove in. He started with a freehand stroke for about five laps, then switched to a backhand one. Suoh joined him after his first lap and now both were doing laps. Once they had finished about fifty laps, they stopped and just floated there for a few minutes, panting.

After about five minutes, they both got out and headed for the showers. Akira gave Suoh some soap and shampoo to use before getting into his own. When they were done, they headed back out to where Nokoru was waiting for them.

As they got there Akira was putting things on his wrists and his ankle's. "Akira, what are those?" Nokoru asked.

"There wrist and ankle weights." Akira replied.

"Why are you wearing them?"

"Another part of training."

"You mean you did everything today with those on?" Suoh asked.

"Everything but swimming and showering." Akira replied.

"How much do they weigh?"

"Right now about fifty pounds for each wrist and about eighty pounds for each ankle, though I'm putting ten more pounds in each next week."

Nokoru and Suoh were shocked. 'How could he have those on and make everything he did so easy?!' Was what both Nokoru and Suoh were thinking.

"Takamura-Sempai" Akira said as he turned to Suoh, "You just did a tough workout, and might be sore tomorrow, so it would help if you relax tonight and wear some heat pads tonight. Trust me, it helps."

"Alright." Suoh replied. "By the way, what time is it?"

Akira looked at the clock and said, "It's about six thirty. Would you like to stay for dinner? You can call your parents if you need to."

"That would be wonderful, thank you Akira." Nokoru replied.

The three of them headed upstairs and Akira went to tell his mothers that they would have guests for dinner while Suoh and Nokoru called their parents.

Once he had told his mothers Akira started on dinner. It took about thirty minutes to make. Everyone sat down and talked about random things until dinner was over and Suoh and Nokoru had to leave.

Akira cleared off the table and went to his room. He waited until his mothers went to bed before making his way to the roof. He laid down and looked at the stars, taking a cigarette from his pocked and a lighter from his other pocket. He laid there smoking until he used up the entire stick. He then ground it out and went back to his room. He used some hot pads for his sore muscles and went to sleep.


	5. later

Over the next few days, Suoh trained with Akira and Paul even got Nokoru started on a light training program, jogging for a few minutes then some weights. He made sure Nokoru only did easy and light things for now because he was just starting.

Akira had cut down on his smoking and stopped drinking entirely (He didn't like it much anyway). Before he used to smoke about a pack or two a day, depending on his mood, now he only smoked about three to five, again depending on his mood.

Suoh and Nokoru were happy with the change but still tried to make him stop smoking entirely. They knew it wouldn't happen overnight and were being patient. They didn't want to push too hard for fear of making him go back to the way he was.

Thanks to Paul, Nokoru was now not so weak as he used to be and had more stamina. Suoh had started using wrist and ankle weights like Akira, but his still weren't as heavy as Akira's. Everyone who knew of Akira's smoking and drinking problem were glad to hear that he was stopping.

After a month had passed, Akira was down to one cigarette a day, no matter what his mood was and now had about seventy pounds in his writs weights each and about a hundred in each ankle weight. He had also started wearing a vest that carried weights, and had about sixty pounds to start with.

He and Suoh now ran three, sometimes four times around the campus and Nokoru had gotten to the point where he could do at least one lap.

Akira still got into some fights because people had either spilled his coffee or mad his mad before he had his coffee. Akira's mothers were proud of their son, and still made his steal things for him, but not very often.

After about another month, Akira was down to one or two cigarettes a week, and more weights added on. It was almost time for summer to start and everyone was in a good mood.

One day, in the council office, Akira got a call. It was Jack, he was calling to say that he was coming to Japan for a visit.

"Who's Jack?" Nokoru asked once Akira had finished the call.

"One of my friends from America. He's a lot older than us though. He's about twenty-five now."

"How did you meet him?"

"About two months after the move, he saw a bunch of high school kids start a fight with me. He watched as I defended myself and got them to stop bothering me. He introduced me to a bunch of his friends and we just sort of started hanging out with each other."

"I see. And was he the one who started giving you cigarettes and beer?"

Akira tensed and Nokoru and Suoh knew they had guessed right. "He's not a bad guy, he just made a lot of stupid choices" Akira said, "Just like I did." He added quietly, but Nokoru and Suoh still heard it.

"We never said he was a bad guy, Akira. We just wanted to know, that's all." Suoh said.

Akira relaxed slightly and smiled softly saying, "I know, but he was like an older brother to me, I don't like it when people say bad things about him."

Nokoru and Suoh nodded their heads in understanding. "So what's he like?" Nokoru asked.

"He's strong and had long messy blond hair with blue eyes the last time I saw him. He also smokes but doesn't drink unless he's had a very bad day, then he goes to a bar and gets himself drunk. He has a weird sense of humor and is very sarcastic. He can be over-protective sometimes, but that's only when someone tries to hurt me. He's an all around nice guy." Akira told them.

Suoh and Nokoru didn't know what to think about this man Akira had described. He sounded like a good gut that had just made some bad choices in life, but they just couldn't get over the fact that he had given a ten-year-old cigarettes and beer. They decided not to judge him until they met him.

"So when does he get here?" Nokoru asked.

"He said he's coming in late tomorrow and would meet up with me sometime the next day. So he should be here about two days from now."

"I'd like to meet him." Nokoru said with a smile, and he meant it to, he was happy to meet the man.

It was a Friday when Jack got to CLAMP school. He waited for the school day to be over to find Akira. He went onto the roof of the council building (He didn't know that, he just went into a random building and made his way to the roof for a smoke) and took out a cigarette and a lighter.

After about ten minutes, the school day was over. Jack looked around and tried to spot Akira, but couldn't see him in the crowd. He was about to go look for him when the door to the roof burst open and Akira ran over to Jack.

"Hi Jack!" Akira said and smiled warmly.

"Hey." Jack replied in fluent Japanese with an American accent.

"Have you been here long? I saw you up here when I got out of class."

"No, not very long. So how have you been?"

"Good. I've gotten stronger and faster to. My aim is also better. I can now throw about ten knives at once at hit the center of each ten targets."

Jack whistled and said, "That's impressive." Akira smiled at him. "Here" Jack held out a cigarette to Akira.

"Actually Jack," Akira said, "I'm done smoking. The most I do now it one a week."

"Oh come on. One won't hurt you, right?" Akira hesitated for a moment but took it and the offered lighter. He lit it and took a long drag. Jack smiled and said, "See, that's not so bad, is it?"

Akira smiled and shook his head. "Your weird." Akira told him.

"And you're a brat. See we're even." Akira laughed at Jacks weird sense of humor. They were up there talking and smoking for about five minutes when the door opened again and Suoh and Nokoru walked out.

"Akira!" Nokoru said, "I thought we agreed no smoking at school." He turned to Jack and asked, "Who's this?"

Jack shook his head and said, "Come on. It's just one cigarette, it's not like it'll kill him. My names Jack by the way. Who are you?"

Nokoru and Suoh looked Jack up and down. He looked strong, in his tight black tee-shirt and baggy jeans. He had long blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was handsome and tall. Akira had been right about how he looked.

"My name is Nokoru, this is Suoh. Were Akira's friends. He's told us a lot about you, it's nice to finally meet you." Nokoru said.

"Same here." Jack replied. They shook hands and Nokoru turned to Akira.

"Give it here." Nokoru said, holding out his hand. Akira handed over the cigarette and watched as Nokoru ground it out under his foot." What happened to no smoking in school?"

"I was excited about seeing Jack I guess I forgot." Akira said.

"Come on, there was no harm done. Don't be too hard on him, I was the one who gave it to him anyway." Jack said.

Nokoru and Suoh smiled, seeing how he stuck up for Akira and took responsibility. Maybe he really was a nice guy. "It's ok. It's just that we've been working really hard to get him to stop and if he started up again now, it would have been a waste of time." Nokoru said.

Akira smiled at how his friends were getting along. He was about to say something but felt suddenly dizzy. "Jack?" He asked. Nokoru, Suoh and Jack all turned to look at him. When they saw him, they got worried.

"Akira are you ok?" Nokoru asked.

"Jack, what was in that cigarette?" Akira asked, ignoring Nokoru's question.

Jack took out the package and swore. "What's wrong?" Suoh asked.

"I gave him the wrong type." Jack said, He went over to where Akira had sat down and was making sure he was alright before continuing, "He can't have this type. The last time he had some, we had to take him to the hospital because he got really sick. I think he's allergic to something in them. Come on" he said to Nokoru and Suoh, "We've got to get him to a doctor."

Jack picked Akira up and Nokoru said, "Follow me."

Jack followed Suoh and Nokoru as they led him to another building. Once inside, they found a doctor who led them to a room to place Akira in. Jack took off all the weights Akira had on, set them out of the way, and laid Akira on the bed.

The doctor asked the three of them to wait outside while he ran some tests. "I'm such an idiot." Jack said out in the hallway. "I should have checked the brand before giving him one. This is all my fault." He put his head in his hand and sighed.

"We all make mistakes." Nokoru said, "Akira's going to be alright." They were all worried about Akira and didn't want to make the situation worse by arguing.

"No, I shouldn't have even given him one. I messed up six years ago. I knew he was too young to start smoking and drinking, but when I first gave him some, I wasn't thinking. I had been drinking a little and wasn't thinking right. Before I knew it, he was smoking a pack a day with a bottle or two of beer." Jack sighed before continuing, "I'm glad you guys are getting him to stop. I should have tried, but instead, I just kept giving him more and now look where he is."

It was quiet for a moment before Nokoru said, "He doesn't blame you, you know."

"What?"

"Akira, he doesn't blame you for this. When he talked about you, he told us you were a great guy who just made some wrong decisions. When he told us you gave him the cigarettes and beer he said that he was angry and tired, not even sure of what he was doing. He always said it wasn't your fault. He said it was his decision to continue and that he just made some bad choices, kind of like you did when you started smoking and drinking. If Akira doesn't blame you, you shouldn't blame yourself. We don't."

Jack looked at them before smiling and saying, "Thanks. You know, you two are really good kids. I'm glad Akira has friends like you."

Nokoru and Suoh smiled, just then the doctor came out and said, you can go see him now, but he is sleeping. I gave him some medicine and all he needs now is some rest. He should be just find to go home and you can take him now if you want, but he should still take it easy the rest of today and tomorrow. I suggest he stay in bed tomorrow and rest, after that he should be as good as new." The doctor was about to leave when he added, "And if he still feels dizzy, make him swallow one of these and rest a bit more, ok?"

The three nodded and thanked the doctor, before taking the pills and going into the room. They saw Akira sleeping peacefully on the bed. They didn't want to wake him up so Jack carefully lifted him up while Suoh picked up all his weights. They quietly made their way to Akira's house, and didn't talk so they wouldn't wake Akira up.

Once they got to his house they brought him up to his room and just as Jack laid him down his eyes opened a little. "Jack?" He asked quietly, his eyes only half open and still full of sleep.

"Shhh" Jack said, "Go back to sleep."

Suoh pulled up the blanket around Akira as his eyes closed and he fell back asleep. Nokoru brushed some strands of hair away from his eyes and they all smiled at how peaceful, Akira looked.

They turned off the lights and quietly made their way downstairs. They found Akira's mothers in the living room and told them what happened. Akira's mothers were pleased to know he was alright and told them all they were welcome to stay the night and as long as they wanted.

Suoh and Nokoru thanked them and went to call their parents to let them know. Once they were gone, Jack said, "I'm truly sorry for what happened. I never should have given it to him."

Akira's mothers smiled and said, "As long as you can admit to your mistake, we're ok. Just please don't give him anymore."

"Don't worry, I won't. Being here today, and meeting Akira's friends, seeing that he's so close to being done with smoking, I think I'm going to follow his example and try to quit as well. It won't be easy, but I'll try, for Akira."

"We're glad to hear it. We're also glad Akira had friends like you three. Thank you." Once Suoh and Nokoru were finished Akira's mothers led them to the guest bedrooms and made sure they knew where everything was.

They ordered out for dinner that night and went to bed early after checking on Akira, making sure he was still sleeping.


	6. another day

The next morning, Nokoru, Suoh and Jack were sitting around talking and laughing while they decided what to do for breakfast. In the end, Jack wound up making it, after he had told Suoh and Nokoru that Akira had taught him to make a few basic dishes.

Once breakfast was ready, Jack took up a plate to Akira so he could eat once he woke up. When Jack entered Akira's room he was surprised to see the younger boy was awake. When the door opened Akira sat up and turned to Jack. "Good morning Jack." He said.

"Good morning Akira" Jack replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Akira smiled and looked at the plate asking, "What's that?"

"I made breakfast and was wondering if you were hungry."

"It smells good." Jack brought the plate over to Akira and set it down on the stand next to the bed.

"The doctor said you should take it easy and stay in bed today." Jack told him.

Akira nodded his head in understanding and tried a bit of the food before saying, "You've gotten better. This is better than the mush you made your first time."

"I resent that. It may not have been as good as what you made but I didn't hear any complaints from anyone else."

Akira laughed and said, "That's because you threatened to kill anyone who made even one complaint!"

Jack made a face and then smiled at Akira. He always felt protective of the younger boy because he thought of him as a little brother, so seeing him laugh and smile like this made him happy.

"So what are you three going to do today?" Akira suddenly asked.

"I don't know. Why?" Jack replied.

"If you were going out I was going to ask you to do a few things for me since I've been commanded to stay in bed."

Akira pouted like a little kid and Jack snorted at his childish behavior. "Alright, I think we can do your errands, but only if you're a good boy and try to get some sleep while were gone." Jack told him like a stern father or doctor with a little kid.

"Yes, father." Akira replied in a mocking voice. They stared at each other for a few seconds before they both burst out laughing.

"So what is it you wanted us to do?" Jack asked him after they had stopped laughing.

"I need a few things from the store, and need you to go some places for me." Akira replied.

"Why don't you make a list." Jack handed Akira a sheet of paper and a pen and watched as the young teen made a list… a long list.

"Akira" Jack asked after two minutes, "Just how many places are we going?"

Akira looked up and smiled saying, "Only a few places, I'm writing the directions down so you don't end up lost."

A tick appeared above Jacks eye as he said, "You little. What makes you think we'll get lost?!"

"Did I say you all would get lost? I could have sworn I said so YOU won't get lost." Akira stuck his tongue out at Jack and kept writing.

"You-" Jack started before putting Akira in a headlock and saying, "I'm not going to get lost!"

Akira started laughing and handed the list to Jack saying, "Kaichou and Takamura-Sempai are probably wondering why your taking so long."

Jack took the list and made Akira lay down saying, "We'll be going, call us if there's anything you need." He took the plate and was about to open the door when he sad, "And try to get some sleep."

"Yes, father." Akira called mockingly again.

Jack shook his head and muttered, "Little punk." Before closing the door and heading back downstairs.

Once everyone was done with breakfast Jack turned to Suoh and Nokoru and said, "Akira wants us to go a few places for him." He held up the list and Suoh's and Nokoru's eyes widened at how long it was.

"Just how many places does he want us to go?" Nokoru asked.

"He said just a few. He told me he also wrote the directions so we don't get lost."

Suoh's eyes returned to normal and Nokoru let out a sigh. "Ok, then. Where to first?"

Jack looked at the list and said, "The market. Seems he needs more stuff to make dinner with."

"Ok, then. Let's go." Nokoru said as the three of them headed to the market. Akira's mothers had left earlier to who knows where and said they would be gone about a week. They said Jack was welcome to stay at their house while they were gone.

As the three of them walked out of the house Akira mad a call to the last place on the list. "Yes, some of my friends will be coming over there. Could you please…" Akira was planning a surprise for his friends when they got there. He only wished he would be able to see their faces. He sighed and laid back down, hoping the people he called would get some good pictures for him.

Soon after calling, Akira fell asleep. He had no idea that he was in for a bigger surprise than his friends.

"How many more things do we need to get?" Nokoru asked Jack who was holding the list.

"Let's see. We just need some carrots, then we can pay for it and move on."

Suoh, Nokoru and Jack had made it to the market and had gotten almost everything on the list. Once they found the carrots they started to pay but the lady said, "You're here for Akira, right?"

Nokoru, Suoh and Jack were surprised. "How did you know?" Jack asked her.

They lady chuckled and said, "That's what he normally get when he comes here every weekend. Also, he's told me a lot about you guys, even shown me pictures. Such a sweet boy. Where is he anyway?"

"He was sick so he's at home resting right now." Nokoru answered. "He asked us to get some things for him."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear it. Well in any case, you don't have to pay for that stuff."

"What?"

"Akira comes here almost every weekend so we just send the bill to his mothers and they pay it at the end of every month."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. And here," The lady pulled out a pack of candy and handed it to Nokoru, "There his favorites. Tell him there a gift from me and to feel better soon."

"Thank you very much."

"It's the least I can do, after all Akira has helped me out on more than one occasion. It's nice to be able to do something for him." The lady smiled and called for the next person.

Suoh, Nokoru and Jack left with their things and headed to the next place on the list.

It took about ten minutes to walk to the next place, which was a daycare center. "Are you sure this is the right place?" Nokoru asked.

Before Jack could answer, a young woman with a baby in her arms stepped out and asked, "May I help you?"

"Ah, yes" Jack said, "We're friends of Akira's and he asked us to come here."

The young woman smiled and said, "Friends of Akira's? Come this way please. You can put your things in here." She gestured to an empty room and they set their things down.

Then they followed the woman to another room full of little kids and said, "Akira normally helps out here for a little bit each weekend. Everyone here is grateful for the help and the kids just love him. Do you mind watching them for a bit? It would be a big help."

"It would be a pleasure to help." Nokoru said and bowed.

The woman thanked him but before she left she asked, "Where is Akira today?"

"He's sick so he's resting today. He asked us to do some things for his today."

"I hope he feels better. I'll be back in an hour" She told them, "Everyone!"

All the little kids stopped and looked at her, "These are Akira's friends. He's sick today, so his friends are going to be here instead, play nice and don't give them too much trouble."

"Ok." The kids replied, and she left, giving the baby to Jack. Once she was gone the kids turned to the three of them and one of them asked, "Your Akira's friends?"

"Yes, we are, and he's sick today so he couldn't come but asked us to come instead." Nokoru told them.

"Will he be alright?"

"Yes, he just needs to rest today and he'll be better tomorrow."

"I'm going to make Akira a card so he'll feel better!" One of the kids yelled. "Yeah!" Everyone else yelled.

"Will you help us?" The kids turned back to Nokoru, Suoh and Jack.

"Of course we will, and I'm sure Akira will love your cards." Nokoru said.

The next hour was spent making cards, playing and finally, sleeping. The young woman came back and saw that they were all asleep. She smiled and told the three of them to follow her.

Once they were outside, she said, "Thank you for helping today." She looked at the cards that they had, "What are those?"

"The kids wanted to make Akira some get-well cards." Jack said.

She smiled and said, "They all really love Akira. He's like a big brother to them. Anyway, please give this to Akira and tell him to feel better." She handed them a bag, "These are from all of us here, he helps us out a lot and we're glad we can help him. They are pictures of the kids and him, and notes from everyone, even some of the parents expressing out thanks."

Nokoru, Suoh and Jack placed the kid's cards in the bag and thanked her, heading to the next place on the list.

The next two places they went were a bookstore where they picked up a book for him, and helped the shop owner with a few things, then an animal shelter where they helped take care of the animals.

Both places they went, the people in charge gave them something to give to Akira, and to pass on the message, 'feel better soon.'

It was late in the afternoon by the time they reached the last stop. When they got there they stopped because in front of them was, a large cozy looking building. It had a sign above the door that said welcome, but other than that, nothing. There was a rather large window that took up a lot of room, but the drapes were closed.

"What is this place?" Nokoru asked.

"I'm not sure." Jack replied.

The three of them stood there for a minute before a young man came out and said, "You must be Akira's friends, right?" They nodded their heads and the man said, "Right this way please." He lead them inside and up some stairs into a large room.

Once inside they saw the room had a snack bar, a small hot tub, games, big, comfy, puffy reclining chairs, a big screen TV, and a fluffy rug covering the floor. The walls were a soft blue color and covering one wall were the big windows with the drapes covering them.

They were the only people in here besides the person working the snack bar and the man who had shown them in. They stood there for a moment until they realized the two men were taking pictures of them.

"What are you doing?" Nokoru asked them.

The man who had shown them in laughed and said, "Akira wanted to see your reaction but since he couldn't be here he called and asked us to take pictures of them instead."

The man took one more picture of them before he put the camera away. "Why did Akira want us to come here?" Jack asked the man.

"This is his way for saying thank you for doing these things for him today." The man said, "He wants you to relax and enjoy yourself for a while. He's a friend of the owner and the owner agreed to let you three have this room to yourselves for the night because Akira had helped him in the past, many times. Akira also wanted me to tell you, that if you don't relax and have a good time, we have the right to kick you out and make you walk home instead of getting a ride. I'll tell you now that it's a fair distance away, and with all the stuff your carrying, it won't be fun."

The man laughed and took a picture of their shocked faces. He looked at his watch and said, "It's almost time."

"Time for what?" Jack asked.

"You'll see in a moment. It's one of the reasons why people love coming here."

They all watched as the drapes were pulled back and Nokoru, Suoh, and Jack all gasped. There in front of them was a beautiful sunset, with an amazing garden below it.

"That garden was one of the things Akira helped the owner with. It started with a statement, and became one of the most amazing gardens I've ever seen. The owner made it after Akira said it would make the view more amazing, when he was still ten years old. The owner had it designed as a surprise for the boy because he was like a son to the owner. And Akira was right. If you wait until the sun is about to disappear, it looks magical. Look, it's coming." The man told the three of them.

The three of them were amazed. What the man had said was true. Once the sun was about to disappear, it lit up the entire garden with an almost magical glow. The trees and flowers seemed to dance in the light, and the little waterfalls seemed to sparkle. The leaves in the trees and the petals on the flowers seemed to change colors before their eyes. It was a breathtaking sight that only lasted for a few seconds. You could miss it if you blinked.

"You have this room for two hours, after that, there are other people who have rented it." The man told the three of them.

Suoh, Nokoru, and Jack had a wonderful time while they were there. They got something to eat, listened to the music that was flowing in from the speaker system, relaxed in the hot tub, and played some of the games.

When it was time to go, the man came and gave them a small box. "A gift to Akira from the owner." He had said. They looked what was in it and gasped as they saw a beautiful necklace. It had a plain silver chain and a small pendent. The pendent looked like a pair of wings with a halo attached and had amazing detail. If you looked closely on the back, you would see the words 'The most amazing person I know-Akira' below that it had the words 'Happy Birthday'.

Nokoru, Suoh and Jack were amazed because the halo was real gold, and the wings had diamonds in it. It was light and must have cost a lot of money. "It was supposed to be a birthday present to him, but the owner won't be here for his birthday so he asked me to give it to you so you can give it to him now and to say feel better." The man said.

"Don't worry, we will." Nokoru said. He closed the lid and put is away, bowing to the man before getting into the car that would take them back to Akira's house.

On the way back Jack said, "Today was pretty fun."

"Yeah." Nokoru agreed while Suoh just nodded his head. "But I didn't realize he had so many friends here."

"Well, he does make friends easily, and it's kind of hard to hate him." Suoh said.

"You got that right." Jack said. They were having a good time on the way back until they got to the house. When they arrived, they saw police cars surrounding the place and an ambulance out front. They got out of the car and saw Akira being loaded into the back of the ambulance with Paul talking to one of the officers. "Akira!" They all yelled.


	7. sorrt for titles

**~A little bit earlier~**

Akira had been sleeping until he felt s sharp pain in his back. He groaned and looked back, only to see a man standing by his window. The man was dressed in black with a mask covering his face. Akira jumped out of bed but instantly regretted it when the pain in his back intensified.

He staggered and felt where the pain was only to feel the hilt of a knife sticking out of his back. He pulled it out, wincing at the pain and asked, "What do you want?"

The man just smiled and said, "The person who hired me wants you dead."

"Who hired you?" Akira's breathing was getting shallower from the loss of blood. And his eyes were beginning to lose focus.

"A man who's called 'The Snake'."

Akira gasped as he heard the name. The snake was an old enemy from when he first joined Jack and his friends. Snake and his friends had come to beat Jack's group because so far, nobody had managed to do that.

Snake had almost won but Akira had taken him out and had managed to break the man's nose, and his left arm in the process. Snake swore to kill him one day, but every attempt had failed. He must have gotten help when he heard Akira had moved back to Japan.

"I don't know why he wants you dead, but for the amount he's paying me to do it, I really don't care." The man told him.

Suddenly Akira flung the knife at the man and hit him in the leg. The man grunted in pain and pulled the knife out. Akira had managed to hit his legs muscle so he couldn't use that leg for a while.

The man took out more knives because neither of them could move for now, the man because Akira had made his leg useless and Akira because he has lost to much blood.

Akira tried to dodge the knives, but could only dodge two of the three. The two he dodged landed on his bed while the third landed in his stomach.

Akira coughed and some blood came out. He had lost to much blood already so after a few seconds he fell back onto the bed. The man smiled and dragged himself from the room and onto the roof. He decided to wait there for a while, and try to fix his leg. He knew he wouldn't be able to get very far with his leg like this.

Back in the room Akira was about to lose consciousness but managed to roll onto his side and press a button that was next to his bed. The button would call Paul up to his room if there was a problem. Seconds after he pressed the button he fell limply onto the bed.

Paul came into the room and turned on the light about a minute later. He froze for a second, taking in the messed up room, the knives in the bed, and Akira laying limply off the side of the bed, covered in blood.

He rushed to the teen's side and found that Akira was barely breathing. He quickly called an ambulance and hoped it would arrive soon. For now, all he could do was try and stop the bleeding.

A few minutes later the ambulance arrived with some police cars. Paul watched as Akira was loaded into the back while he was talking with one of the officers about what had happened. He was telling the officer about how he found the boy when he heard someone shout "Akira!"

He looked over and saw Suoh, Nokoru and Jack run up to the side of the boy. Paul excused himself and went over to Akira's friends. He watched with the rest as Akira was loaded into the back with an oxygen mask over his face and as it drove away, headed for the hospital.

Suoh, Nokoru and Jack all turned to Paul and asked, "What happened?"

Paul then told them what he had seen. All of them were wondering who would do that to Akira. They were about to head to the hospital when they heard an officer shout "We found the guy!"

They all turned to see a man dressed in all black with a black mask on. One of the officers took off the mask and they saw a man with short green and purple dyed hair and green eyes. He looked to be about twenty-six.

Jack went up to him and yelled, "Why did you do it?!"

As one officer was trying to calm him down the man said, "I was hired to do it."

"By who?!"

"People call him, 'The Snake.'"

Jack froze and went pale before saying, "So **he** was the one behind this."

"Who's 'The Snake'?" Nokoru asked Jack.

"He's the number one most wanted crook in the world." One of the officer's said. "I'd like to know how you know him."

"I'll tell you everything at the hospital." Jack said.

"Of course. Would you like a ride?"

"We have one."

"Ok, but follow behind me, I'll get you there faster."

"Thank you." Nokoru, Suoh, Jack and Paul all got into the car and told the driver to follow the police car.

Once they were at the hospital they asked the doctors where Akira was. "He's undergoing surgery right now. The knives hit him in vital areas. It will take a while so why don't you wait here until it's done."

They nodded and sat down in some of the chairs. The police man whose name was Kevin, he was Japanese but his parents loved America so much, they gave him American name.

Everyone listened as Jack told of how he and Akira knew 'The Snake'. When he was done, there was silence for a while as everyone took in what he had just said.

"Thank you for your assistance, we will do the best we can to find this man." Kevin said, "I hope your friend is alright."

"Thank you." Nokoru said.

They waited there for about two hours before a doctor came up to them and asked, "Are you the friends of Akira Ijyuin?"

"Yes" Jack said, "How is he?"

"He was lucky we got to him in time. He is stable know and resting. When he wakes up he will be in a bit of pain, but that's normal. We will keep him here for a few days after he wakes up to make sure he's ok. You may go see him now if you want."

The doctor gave them his room number and then went to another waiting family. Nokoru, Suoh, Jack, and Paul came to a stop in front of Akira's room. They opened the door and took in the sight before them.

Akira was laying on the bed with an IV in his arm. He had lost a lot of blood so he was almost as white as the sheets. They heard the reassuring beep that was his heart beat. It was steady and told them all he was still alive. Looking at him on the bed he looked so fragile.

Tears came to Nokoru's eye's seeing his younger friend like this. He was sitting next to Suoh on one side of Akira while Jack and Paul were on the other side. Suoh put an arm around Nokoru and Nokoru turned his head and cried into Suoh's shirt.

After a while Paul left to inform Akira's mothers about what had happened. Suoh, Nokoru and Jack visited Akira every day. On the third day when they were visiting, Akira's hand twitched. The three of them held their breath and a few seconds later Akira's eyes opened.

Jack and Suoh helped Akira to sit up and Nokoru got him a glass of water. Akira winched as he sat up but smiled at his friends. After he had taken a drink of water the first thing he said was, "I'm going to kill that guy the next time I see him."

Jack started laughed and a few moments later Suoh and Nokoru joined in. A minute later the doctor came in and asked, "How are you feeling Akira?"

"Painful." Was the reply.

"Don't worry, that's only natural. Can I get you anything?"

Akira thought for a moment before he said, "Some food would be nice." As if to prove his point, a second later his stomach rumbled. Everyone laughed while Akira looked embarrassed.

"I'll have a nurse bring something in for you." The doctor said before he left.

"I'm glad you're ok." Jack said, as he softly ruffled Akira's hair.

Akira made a face and asked, "How long have I been here and when can I leave?"

Nokoru, Suoh and Jack laughed and Nokoru said, "You've been here for four days and they said they want you to stay here for a few days while they make sure you'll be alright."

"Well, I guess I should have expected as much. By the way, how did you guys like my little surprise?"

"It was amazing." Suoh said.

Nokoru suddenly said, "That reminds me. The people we met that day gave us some things to give you and they all said to tell you they hope you fell better soon."

Akira smiled and said, "That's very kind of them."

"We'll bring the stuff by tomorrow morning. Is there anything else you want us to bring?"

"Coffee." Nokoru, Suoh and Jack started to laugh while Akira pouted, reminding them of a child.

"Only if you don't cause the doctors problems." Jack said.

"I won't as long as they let me have my coffee." Was the reply, this just made them laugh harder.

"You should get some rest now." Jack said after a while. He and Suoh gently helped Akira to lay down again. "Be a good boy for the doctors and nurses."

"Yes, father." Akira said.

Nokoru and Suoh chuckled while Jack pulled the covers up around Akira and patted his head. Akira batted it away and closed his eyes. A little while longer he was asleep and Jack, Suoh and Nokoru left.

A few days later Akira was ready to go home. He was still weak so he had to lean on Jack, but was still smiling. Before he left the doctor told him, "You have to take it easy for a while. I don't want you moving around a lot for at least a week ok? And no lifting anything heavy for about two weeks, even then I want it to only be light stuff for a while. I don't want to have to patch you back up again so be careful."

Akira nodded his head and with the help of Jack, made his way to the car. Once they were back home, Paul told them that Akira's mothers were held up and wouldn't be able to get back for at least a month. "They said that Akira was in our care until they got back." He told Suoh, Nokoru and Jack.

The three of them nodded and turned to Akira, only to find him asleep on the couch. "Guess he's still a bit tired." Nokoru said.

They all smiled and Suoh threw a blanket over the younger teen. They all helped in moving the things Akira got from his friends to his room. They had already taken the knives out of the bed and disposed of them and Paul had put fresh sheets on the bed after he burned the old ones.

Nobody wanted to wake Akira so they let him sleep on the couch and quietly finished. Once they were done, they ordered some dinner and Jack waited outside for it to arrive so the bell didn't wake up Akira.

They all finished dinner quietly and went to their rooms to get some sleep.

The next morning Suoh was the first one up, being an early-riser. He got ready and went downstairs. He looked in on where Akira had slept only to find that he had shifted during the night and now the blanket was on the floor.

Suoh smiled and shook his head as he went over and put it back on Akira. He turned around and saw Jack and Nokoru standing there smiling. "What?" Suoh asked.

Nokoru shook his head and said, "Nothing, it's just that Akira looks so cute like that. He reminds me of a little kid, the only thing missing is a stuffed bear."

Suoh turned to look at Akira and realized that Nokoru was right. Akira was curled up on the couch like a little kid would and the blanket covered him so only his face was showing.

Jack grinned and said, "I'll be right back." A few moments later, Jack appeared with a big, brown, stuffed bear about the size of a little kid. He then walked over to Akira and placed it so that Akira was hugging it and the blanket made it so that only Akira's head and the bears head were sticking out.

Jack stepped back and admired his work. "What do you think?" He asked.

"Perfect." Nokoru said. They all laughed a little when a few seconds later Akira snuggled up to the bear and looked even more childlike. Suddenly Jack had a camera and took a picture of Akira like that. Nokoru smiled and said, "Can you make us some copies of that?"

"How many do you want?" Jack asked.

"One for each of us."

They then had breakfast and throughout the whole day, Akira stayed holding the bear. He didn't wake up until the next day and when he did the first thing he asked was, "Where did the bear come from?"

Jack laughed and said, "I got it from a toy store for you. Don't you like it?"

Akira looked at it for a moment before he hugged it to him saying, "It's so soft." He then gave Jack a big smile and said in a little kid voice, "Thank you daddy! It's just what I've always wanted!" Of course this caused Nokoru and Suoh to laugh and Jack to smile saying, "Little punk." But he didn't mean it, he was just glad that Akira was feeling better.

Over the next few days Akira started walking around more. At first he was slow and needed Jacks or Suoh's help but now he could walk normally on his own. Every night, they would go in to say goodnight to Akira and find him curled up in bed, hugging the stuffed bear, and he was still hugging it every morning. It seemed that Akira had named the bear Little Jack, after Jack who had given it to him.

When Jack found out he smiled, he was glad Akira liked it.

All of the cards, letters, and pictures Akira got from his friends went into one drawer. He had eaten the candy from the lady at the market, and everyday he wore the necklace that the owner of the building had given to him.

Every morning and night, Jack, Suoh or Nokoru would help Akira change the bandages where he had been stabbed. After two weeks they were allowed to take them off for good but until them, they always helped him change them.


	8. end

The next Saturday Akira went with Jack, Nokoru and Suoh to the market to get things for dinner because he still couldn't lift things without aggravating his wounds.

When the Lady at the market saw us as we were paying she said, "Hello Akira, are you feeling better? I heard you were in the hospital, what happened?"

"I'm feeling much better, thank you. And I was in the hospital because someone tried to kill me by turning me into a pin cushion." Akira replied, "But I'm fine now."

"That's good to hear." She smiled and pulled out a bag of candy saying, "Here, I know there you favorite."

"Thank you very much." Akira smiled at her and they left. As they passed people, Nokoru, Suoh and Jack watched as Akira smiled and greeted everyone by their names. He even stopped to talk to a woman who had a little girl by her feet, clinging to her skirt and a baby in her arms.

Akira had made the little girl smile and laugh and had gotten the baby to stop crying. The woman thanked him and they kept going. Once they reached the daycare center, the same woman from last time came out and greeted them. "Good morning Akira! I'm glad to see your feeling better. The kids missed you and will be glad to see you."

Akira smiled at her and went inside. Once they had put all their stuff down in the room, they went into the same room as last time that was full of little kids.

"Akira!" the kids cried as they saw him. They all ran to him and gave him a hug. "We missed you Akira!" they said. "Did you get our cards?"

"Hello everyone, yes I did get your cards and they were wonderful. Thank you." He replied.

Nokoru, Suoh and Jack watched as he played with the little kids and taught them some new games. At the end Akira told them all a story and before it was over, they had all fallen asleep, with half of them sleeping on Akira.

He laughed a little and gently moved them off him before he stood up. They quietly exited the room and went to get their things. After they had been thanked by the woman who greeted them, they left. They kept walking and Akira greeted everyone he passed by their names as they greeted him.

They went to the bookshop again and Akira talked with the owner for a while before buying another book and heading to the animal shelter.

Once Akira walked inside, a little girl ran to him saying, "Akira! You're here!"

They watched as Akira bent down and gave the girl a hug saying, "Hello Areal."

"Come on, Lily just had some puppies and Angel just had some kittens!"

Akira laughed and let himself be dragged away by the little girl. After they were done, Akira led them to the building they went to before but instead of going in, he led them around the back. "I want to show you something." He told them.

He led them into the garden and to a door that was hidden by some bushes. Akira produced a key and opened the door. Nokoru, Suoh and Jack all gasped at what they saw. To them it looked like they had just stepped into paradise.

In the middle there was a big lake with a waterfall coming down into it on one side with trees and plants on either side. Some of the trees connected and had a sturdy branch going over the lake so it looked like a bridge. There were a bunch of colorful fish swimming in the lake. And colorful flowers that were mixed in with the trees and plants. The floor was all grass and it was warm inside.

They watched as Akira ran forward and disappeared into one side of the trees. They were about to follow him when they saw him again on top of the bridge like branch. He waved to them and told them to come up as well.

They left their things by the entrance (Akira had closed the door after they were all inside) and ran into the trees. They found their way to where Akira was and joined him in sitting on the branch.

Akira was in the middle of Nokoru and Suoh with Jack sitting next to Nokoru. "What is this place?" Suoh asked.

"It's a secret place that only the owner and I, well and now you know about. He and I are the only ones with the key to get in here. It's kind of like our own little place to escape to." Akira said.

They sat in silence for a while before Nokoru said, "This place is wonderful."

"Hm." Akira hummed his agreement while Suoh and Jack nodded their heads.

After a while they decided it was time to head back, so they got their things and left. There was a car waiting for them when they came around the front. After they had been driving for a few minutes Akira had fallen asleep and was using Suoh's shoulder as a pillow.

Nokoru and Jack who were sitting on the opposite side of Suoh and Akira smiled. When they reached Akira's house Suoh picked up Akira, careful not to wake him, and followed Jack and Nokoru inside. They changed Akira into his pajamas after changing his bandages and laid him down on the bed. Jack gave him the stuffed bear (which he snuggled up to) and Nokoru put the blanket around him. They turned off the lights and closed the door. Once they went back downstairs for dinner they found Paul waiting for them.

"I just got word from the police." He said. "It seems that they have managed to capture 'The Snake' and he is now in prison."

Everyone smiled at the news, happy the he wouldn't try and hurt Akira any more.

The next few week passed and Akira's mother's came home. After that, Jack went back to America, Nokoru went on to the university division and life returned to normal. Akira had finally stopped smoking totally and Jack had said that he was getting better and not smoking as much. He had stopped drinking and was close to not smoking anymore.

All in all, life was pretty good. Time passed and everyone grew older. Not much happened and it was finally peaceful again. "Kaichou! You still have paperwork to finish!" "But Suoh"… Yes, peaceful. "NOW Kaichou!"

THE END 


End file.
